Ladder.



PATENTED 'JULY 1 7, 1906.

H. ADLER.

LADDER. APPLIGATION FILED JAN. 19, 1906.

WITNESSES UNITED sTArns PATENT OFFICE.

COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

LADDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Ju1y l7, 1906.

Application filed January 19, 1906. Serial No. 296,786.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY ADLER, a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ladders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to ladders, and has special reference to that class of metallic ladders such as are shown and described in an application filed by me on August 12, 1905, Serial No. 273,872.

The object of the present invention is to provide a cheap, simple, and efficient device for attachment to the ladder standard and step which will overcome all liability of any swaying or wabbling of the ladder when a person is using or moving along the same, as well as one which will more firmly support the step-supporting device and the step and can be used for supporting the step, if de' sired.

My invention consists, generally stated, in the novel arrangement, construction, and combination of parts, as hereinafter more specifically set forth and described, and particularly pointed out'in the claims.

To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to construct and use the device, I will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion 'of a step-ladder, showing my improved stepbrace applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a view looking at the inner face of one of the ladderstandards. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the step-braceand standard. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a portion of the standard and looking at the step-brace in opposite direction from that shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a crosssection on the line 5 5, Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a view looking at the inner face of one of the ladder-standards and showing another form of my improved step-brace. Fig. 7 is a per spective view of the step-brace shown in Fig. 6.

Like symbols of reference herein indicate like parts in each of the figures of the drawmgs.

As illustrated in said drawings, 1 represents the standards or side rails of the ladder,

which are formed or stamped from a piece of thin sheet metal and have each of their side edges bent outwardly from the body 1 of said rails to form the flanged and rounded or semicircular portions 2, having the side flanges 2 thereon. Flanges 3 are preferably cut or stamped out of the body 1 of said rails and are bent inwardly at right angles to said body. These flanges 8 are formed of any desired shape and size and when bent actto form the openings 3 in the side rails, while each rail is preferably provided with one of such flanges extending above and below each of said openings.

The steps 4 extend between the side rails l and are preferably formed of wood, such steps being supported by and secured to said rails through the medium of the flanges 3, which fit on each side of said steps and are secured thereto by means of the rivets 5, which pass through holes in said flanges and steps, while end projections 4: on said steps will fit within the openings 3 so formed in said rails 1 .by the flanges 3 and will bear directly on and be supported by the body 1 of said rails.

The stiffener or brace for-the side rails 1 and steps 4 is shown at 6 and is formed from a single piece of thin sheet metal which is cut and stamped or bent to shape to form the main body portion 6, having the straight outer side edge 6" for fitting within the rear groove 2 of the rounded portions 2 on the side rails 1. Projections or lugs 7 are formed on said edge 6" and at each end thereof for being passed through slits 7, formed in said rounded portions 2, and bent against the outer face of the same. The inner side 8 of the body portion 6 on said brace 6 is formed outwardly inclined from the ends of the same, as at 8, in order to form the enlarged outwardly-extending portion 8 at the center of said body portion, and extending inwardly from said enlarged portion is the step-supporting portion 9. This step supporting portion 9 is formed of a body portion 9, which is bent at its outer end.from the body portion 6 and extends along the inner face of the same and rear edge'of the step 4, while the opposite or inner end 10 is adapted to be passed through a slit 10, formed in said body portion 6, and bent over and around the rear side flange 2 on the rear rounded portion 2 of flanges 11 can be bent out from the upper the rail 1. Bent out from the upper and lower edges of the body portion 9 of said step-supporting portion 9 are the flanges 11, which are adapted to extend over and be secured to the flanges 3 and steps 4 by means of the rivets 5, passing through holes in the same opposite the holes in said. flanges 3 and said step.

It will be evident that, if desired, the flanges 3 on the side rails 1 of the ladder can be dispensed with, in which case the body portion 9 on the step-supporting portion 9 of the brace 6 can be extended and bent at 12 in order to project along the body portion 1 of said side rails 1, as at 12. In this case the and lower edges of the extended body portion 12 on said body portion 1 and be secured to the flanges 3 and step 4, as before described, while such extended portion is secured to the side rails 1 by a lug 13, Which is slit and bent out of the outer end of said extended body portion 12, so that it can be passed through a slit 13 in the front rounded ortion 2 of the side rail and be bent against the front face of the body' 1 of said rail. If desired, this extended body portion can be further secured to the side rail by riveting the same to the body portion 1 of said rail and by adding an additional projection or lug 7 intermediate of the end lugs 7 on the inner side edges 6 of the body portion 6.

Various other modifications and changes in the design and construction of my improved ladder brace and stiffener may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or saeriicing any of its advantages.

It will thus be seen that my improved ladder brace and stiffener can be formed easily and quickly and can be readily and conveniently attached to the ladder rail and step, so that when it is in position and galvanized with the rails the parts will be firmly supported and secured together and. will greatly stifl'en, brace, and strengthen the whole ladder structure. I

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a ladder, the combination of a step, a sheet-metal. side rail having a flanged portion at its'side edge, a bracing device consisting of a sheet-metal plate having a main body portion secured at its outer side edge to said flanged portion, and flanges extend ing inwardly from said body portion and secured to the upper and lower sides of the ste 2 In a ladder, the combination of a step, a sheet-metal side rail having a flanged portion at its side edge, a bracing device consisting of a sheet-metal plate having a main body portion extending inwardly from said railand secured at its outer side edge to said flanged portion, and flanges extending in-' wardly from said body portion and secured to the upper and lower sides of the step.

3. In a ladder, the combination of a step, a sheet metal side rail having a flanged portion at its side edge, a bracing device consist-ing of a sheet-1netal plate having a main. body portion provided with lugs on its outer side edge adapted to be passed through slits in said flanged portion and bent against the same, and flanges extending inwardly from said body portion and secured to the upper and lower sides of the step.

4;. In a ladder, the combination of a step, a sheet-metal side rail having a flanged portion at its side edge, a bracing device consisting of a sheet-metal plate having a main bodyportion secured at its outer side edge to said flanged portion, and flanges bent inwardly from the inner side edge of said body portion and secured to the upper and lower sides of the step.

5. In a ladder, the combination of a step, a sheet-metal side rail having a flanged portion at its side edge, a braclng device consisting of a sheet-metal plate having a main body portion secured at its outer side edge to said flanged portion, another body portion bent inwardly from the inner side edge of said main body portion and extending along the same, and flanges bent inwardly from said second body portion and secured to the upper and lower sides of the step.

6. In a ladder, the combination of a step, a sheet-metal side rail having a flanged portion at its side edge, a bracing device comprising a sheet-metal plate having a main body portion fitting by its outer side edge within the said flanged portion and secured at said outer edge to said flanged portion, and flanges extending inwardly from said body portion and secured to the upper and lower sides of said step.

7. In a ladder, the combination of a step, a sheet-metal side rail having a flanged portion at its side edge, a bracing device comprising a sheet-metal plate having a main body portion fitting by its outer side edge within the said flanged portion, lugs on the said outer side edge adapted to be passed through slits in said flanged portion to be bent against the same, and flanges extending inwardly from said body portion and secured to the upper and lower sides of said ste In a ladder, the combination of a step, a sheet-metal side rail having a flanged portion at its side edge, a bracing device comprising a sheet-metal plate having a main body portion fitting by its outer edge within the said flanged portion and secured at said outer edge to said flanged portion, and flanges bent inwardly from the inner side edge of said body portion and secured to the upper and lower sides of said step.

9. In a ladder, the combination of a step, a sheet-metal side rail having a flanged portion at its side edge, a bracing device comprising a sheet-metal plate having a main body portion fitting by its outer edge within said flanged portion and secured at said outer edge to said flanged portion, another body portion bent inwardly from the inner side edge of said main body portion and extending along the same, and flanges bent inwardly from said second body portion and secured to the upper and lower sides of said ste 1 0. In a ladder, the combination of a step, a sheet-metal side rail having a flanged portion at its side edge, a bracing device comprising a sheet-metal plate havinga main ody portion fitting by its outeredge Within said flanged portion and secured at said outer edge to said flanged portion, another body portion bent inwardly from the inner side edge'of said main body portion and extending along the same, a lug on said secondnamed body portion adapted to pass through a slit in said first-named body portion and be bent around said flanged portion, and flanges bent inwardly from said second body portion and secured to the upper and lower sides of said step.

In testimony whereof I, the said HENRY ADLER, have hereunto set my hand.

HENRY ADLER.

Witnesses;

J. N. CooKE, H. METZGER. 

